


band of five.

by MercurialComet



Series: five man band [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:01:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24383959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercurialComet/pseuds/MercurialComet
Summary: aka i am bored and will write a self-insert into the main game because i what? can.
Series: five man band [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764427
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello, welcome to the ride, hopefully it's a great one.

“Don’t bother!” Noctis shouts, and Gladiolus can hear the different emotions in his voice. But he can also hear the news report from a different place now that Prompto’s phone is off. He glances at Ignis and nods his head towards an outcropping of rock.

Ignis quietly starts walking over to it. Prompto looks over at him and seems to get the idea, summoning his pistol just in case. Noctis still looks out of it when Gladiolus steps in between him and the outcropping, cutting off any sight line to the prince. 

Ignis is a few feet away from it when he speaks. “To the person behind the outcropping,” he says in an authoritative tone, “know that you are in the presence of four trained Crownsguard. Step out from behind the rocks with your hands where we can see them.”

The news report goes silent. Gladiolus hears his heartbeat for a few moments as nothing happens. Then, as Imperial ships fly above them, a man steps out.

He looks young, close to Prompto’s age and height. Dark brown skin, dark black hair with a silver streak braided into a ponytail behind him, simple muscle shirt, sweatpants, and sneakers. He looks somewhat well built, and if the few scars that Gladiolus can see mean anything, he’s obviously gotten into a few fights before.

The man seems nervous. “I don’t have anything you want, please-”

“We’re not going to rob you.” Ignis says, slowly raising a hand. “Who are you?”

“Visurius.” He answers, eyes jumping between the three of them. “Visurius Erriant. Just call me Rius. Are you part of the Empire?”

The question seems to throw Ignis off his game for a few moments, and Gladiolus sees the panic in Rius’ eyes before the gun is pointed at them.

Prompto aims his own weapon at Rius. “Hey, calm down! We’re not!”

Rius’ hands shake as he holds the gun, switching his aim between Ignis to Prompto to Gladiolus to Prompto to Ignis to Gladiolus to-

Gladiolus knows exactly what this means. “Hey, watch out. You don’t fully know how to use that yet, don’t you?”

“No.” Rius admits after a pause, nodding his head. “But what I’ve learned got me this far. Are you sure you’re not-”

“You summoned that weapon.” Ignis notes, pushing his glasses up. “Mind telling me how you did it?”

“Why should I?” Rius asked. “What’s to stop you from killing me afterwards.”

Gladiolus felt Noctis’ attempt to push him to the side as the prince stepped forward. “We’re not going to hurt you.” Noctis promised.

Rius’ eyes widened. “You’re not dead?! But, the Citadel-”

“We were outside of the city.” Noctis says, pocketing his phone. “We actually have to leave now. Want to join us?”

Gladiolus doesn’t look away from Rius, who is still holding the gun, but has it pointed down to the ground now. Because of this he sees the shock on Ignis, Prompto, and Rius’ faces.

“Noctis, we really can’t-”

“The Regalia seats 5, Ignis.” Noctis says casually. “Besides, I need to learn to be King, and that means taking care of people. Rius, is it?”

Rius just simply nods.

“We’re on our way to Hammerhead. Want to join us?”

* * *

Ignis thinks, nay, he knows that this is the worst idea that Prince Noctis has had his entire life. But as his current… advisor? Confidant? Brain? Man in the Chair? Either way, he at least has to make some effort into befriending the man currently sitting between him and Gladiolus. “So, about your gun.”

Rius turns to face him, and Ignis spots how his shoulders tense slightly. “What about it?”

“It’s rather interesting how you were able to pull the gun out like that.” Ignis says, careful to keep his tone conversational. “I mean, we can do the same of course, but that’s because we have the Crown Prince of Lucis with us.”

Rius smiles, quickly facing the front and probably catching Noctis’ eye in the rearview mirror. “I’m glad you’re alive by the way, Your Highness.” 

“Thanks. Call me Noctis.”

Ignis clears his throat. “Either way,” he continues to talk as if Rius hadn’t interrupted the conversation. “I wasn’t aware of the ability existing to others. Do you mind curing my curiosity?”

Rius looks uncomfortable for a few moments, the sound of the Regalia’s engine and the breaths of everyone the only sounds in the car. “I was clocking into my shift during the Imperial Strike at the Citadel.” He starts, finger nervously tapping his thigh. “I started running back to my apartment when I heard the violence, packed a few bags, and started running to get out of the city. Swiped an Imperial General’s bracelet when he tried to grab me and kept on running.”

“A bracelet?” Prompto asked, turning around in his seat. “You don’t have a bracelet on.”

With an impressive amount of skill and flexibility, Rius pulled up the right leg of his sweatpants and showed the metallic band on his ankle. He pulled the leg down again. “I hid for a bit to put it on my ankle. The original plan was to get out and sell it for as much as I could but-”

“Something came up.” Gladiolus says, matter of factly.

“One of those Imperial robots spotted me as I was close to leaving and I, uh-” Rius rubbed the back of his neck. “I threw a dagger into it’s head and shot it’s friend before I ran for my life.”

“Ah,” Noctis said, the smile evident in his voice. “A natural born fighter. Glad you’re on our side.”

Ignis is concerned about the idea of the Empire as Hammerhead shows up in the distance. “I’m glad it all worked out for you, Visurius.” He says, spotting Cindy at the rest stop. “But we better make haste. Noct won’t be dead forever.”

* * *

Prompto is impressed. Rius is able to keep up with him and the others constantly running everywhere, and on their way to Cor, he’s only a little bit winded.

The arrival of the birds does throw him off though. “Birds?! Even the birds are deadly?”

Prompto laughs. And then stops laughing as he sees Rius swing a dagger on a rope and launch it upwards, catching the bird in its stomach. A shot from him and a warp strike from Noct take it down. The fights with the other flying monsters don’t have Rius in such a strong spot, but his growing accuracy with his pistol is more eyes and damage for the group, and Prompto is glad that he is on their side.

* * *

On their way to the second tomb, Noctis doesn’t notice the second mech until he’s suddenly on the ground, taking a potion. As he stands back up, he spots Rius practically dancing away from the mech, rope dagger in hand. Seeing no one else nearby, he points his sword at the mech’s leg and prays that Rius will understand what he means. “Rius!”

He looks over at him for a moment, then back at the leg. He nods, and Noctis watches as he swings the dagger around the leg, catching it quickly and tightening the loop of rope until it’s around the mechanics. With almost no visible effort, Rius uses the mech’s momentum to flip it, forcing it to land legs up. It only seems to last for a second, but that’s all the opportunity Noctis needs to warp strike it, now able to aim for a weak point and deal even more damage than he usually does. He grins at Rius, and Rius grins back as he switches to his pistol, shooting at a sniper who was brave enough to get closer now that a mech was involved. 

Noctis warp strikes them too, just for sheer measure.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl, this entire chapter is the main reason i started writing this because you've been given a golden opportunity to be left tf alone and you're gonna squander it? i think not.
> 
> also, i already have chapter 3 done, but i'm gonna slow down on updates because i just like doing a lot and sometimes that means i gotta slow down what i put out, you know?

When they blindside a herd of Anok, Noctis takes point with Rius. The new party member squats and cups his hands together, and Noctis takes the foothold. With a small grunt, Rius throws him up in the air and towards the flank of the Anok. Their blade and bullet sink to the flesh, and by the cracking sound, a bone or two had probably been broken.

“Poor thing never stood a chance.” Rius commented, shaking his head. Noctis smirked as the two split up, off to continue the impromptu hunt.

* * *

Honestly? Gladio’s impressed with the newbie. It’s practically his first day on the job and he’s giving Imperial forces a hell of a fight with their own technology. He catches glimpses of Rius as they go through the small army in front of the door, constantly weaving between foes and launching with a dagger before ending the scuffle with a coup-de-grace at the back of the head. It’s quick, it’s swift, it’s violent, and it’s effective as hell.

When Prompto drops the last goon, the doors open, and it seems that Noct can barely get to say, “Hey” before a mech falls out of the sky and they’re back at it.

* * *

After Ignis parks in Coernix Station, everyone takes the chance to get out and stretch their legs. He himself works on refilling the gas tank, the petrol nozzle just going into the car when Noctis’ phone rings. Ignis looks up just in time to see Noctis pull out his phone and Rius take it away from him, putting it up to his own ear. “Who’s this?”

Everyone in the group is shocked at the audacity of taking the prince’s phone and answering it for him, so no one really reacts until Rius asks the person on the other end to hold on a moment and covers the mouthpiece. “It’s Iris.” He says casually. “Anyone know her?”

“Iris?” Gladiolus asks even more incredulously. “Can’t even call her own brother, huh?”

The petrol stops pumping. “In all fairness, yours wasn’t the obituary broadcast all over Lucis.” Ignis says, pulling out the nozzle. “Although, I do have to wonder, why did you take the phone from Noctis?”

Rius rolls his eyes. “The world thinks he’s dead, right? Including people who would try and hunt him down? It’s better to be quiet about things for now.” He gets back on the phone. “Call your brother, Iris. Act like this number isn’t safe. Can’t wait to meet ya.” He hangs up and tosses the phone to Noctis.

Ignis respected the logic. To chauffeur Noctis around while everyone thinks his body is currently in the Citadel would make traveling and adventures easier, especially if they could stay off of the Empire’s radar.

However, to be so quick and smooth about the whole affair is a sign of readiness. And that readiness is a sign of practice. Ignis finds himself wondering about Rius’ life before running out of the Citadel. What did he do? How did he live? Where did he get the ability to slide through physical and social interactions?

Gladiolus’ phone rings and he answers it. A few moments pass and he laughs. “So, you thought that you could get away with not calling your brother, huh?”

Prompto is still asleep in the passenger seat. 

Ignis puts the petrol nozzle away and walks over to Noctis and Rius. “Noct, I think that Rius needs to make one more phone call,” he says, and the look that he and the dark-skinned man share can speak volumes about how well Rius could fit into many of Ignis’ plans. “I believe that we have a new friend that would enjoy his words. Dino, if I remember his name correctly.”

* * *

Everyone is awake in the car now, having actually gotten out and grabbed snacks for the drive to Lestallum. Gladio watches Rius as he presses a few buttons on Noctis’ phone,putting it up to his ear and waiting.

Rius smiles, and it’s obvious that Dino wasn’t expecting a call from the prince. “Hello, is this Dino?” A few seconds pass. “Great. I would like to talk to you on Prince Noctis’ behalf.”

Rius sighs, and Gladio can tell that there’s a bit of annoyance starting to get under his skin. “Sure, here he is.” Rius taps the screen and puts the phone on speaker. “Say something, Your Highness.”

“Hey Dino.” Noctis practically chirps.

“Be warned Dino,” Ignis says, never taking his eyes off the road. “You are on speaker.”

“I can live with that.” The journalist says, his tone excited. “So, Mr….”

“My name isn’t important.” Rius says, holding the phone flat in his palm. “But what is important is what you decide to publish in the papers, Mr. Dino. And as The Crown Prince’s current PR Manager, I think it’s rather important that we’re on the same page. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.” Dino sounds like he’s paying his full attention right now. “So, are we posting a rallying piece about the Prince’s survival?”

Rius pauses for a moment. “No. As it currently stands, we all believe that it is better for us to keep where he is a secret for now. And the best way to do that is to keep the rumor that he’s dead alive.”

“So this is a gag order. Nothing about the Prince or the Citadel.”

“Now, who said you couldn’t write about the Citadel?” Rius asked with a smirk that spelled danger. “In fact, I know that you’re going to miss the scoop of the century, so I’m here to give you the scoop of the decade in return. I just need you to promise me a few things.”

Dino is quiet for a few moments. Prompto is rapt with attention, fully turned around in his seat. Ignis had slowed down, starting to pull over to the side of the road. Noctis is leaned back, interested, but not too concerned with the whole situation. And Gladio admits that his own interest is caught with how practiced Rius is at this stuff. 

“What am I swearing to?” Dino asks.

“You swear to not post any information about the Crown Prince or his family beyond what you need to ensure their complete innocence. You swear to not mention me or my connection to the Prince and write everything I say down as an anonymous source. And finally, you swear to not share any part of this phone call that you’ve probably been recording.” Rius takes a breath after he finishes speaking. “Are we clear?”

“Crystal. What’s the scoop.”

Rius sighs. “I’m going to tell you 3 pieces of information that will give a lead into why the Citadel wasn’t as protected as we all believed.”

The car goes silent.

Dino sighs, the sound of paper in the background of the call. “Treason? Do you want to shake up the country?”

“It’s not a treason case Dino, calm down.” Gladio lets out his breath at Rius’ words. “Either way, I hear that if you look into the Councilman of Defense’s pocketbook, without him knowing of course, there’s a few numbers that don’t add up.”

There’s the sound of a pencil writing in the background. “Alright.”

“If you want help getting it, go to his 3rd bodyguard and his 5th accountant.”

Gladio has no idea how a random person can’t get such specific information on a Councilman, but Dino is hooked.

“And finally,” Rius says, as if he hasn’t been dropping heavy blows this entire conversation. “Look for a private checking account. Check it’s history. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

Rius hangs up the phone, and looks guilty when he hands it over to Noctis. “Sorry about all that, but the guy was gonna be caught soon.”

“It was embezzlement, wasn’t it?” Ignis asks.

Rius shook his head. “Tax fraud. He’s been loading money in an account to hide from tax collectors.”

“How did you know about it?” Prompto asks, still turned around in his seat.

Gladio notices the shift in Rius’ demeanor. He’s more cautious now, and it seems like he has something to hide now.

“Word travels fast at my job.” Rius says. 

Ignis’ eyes narrow in the rearview. “That’s an interesting job you have. What is it?”

“Waiter.” Rius answers. “And sometimes I danced on the side.”

“What would a waiter know about Council gossip?” Prompto asked, and Noctis gasped.

“Holy shit.” Noctis said, his tone surprised. “You work at the Lock and Key.”

Gladio started laughing. Of course. This whole thing couldn’t have been any better.

Prompto looks confused. “What’s the Lock and-”

“Later, please.” Rius asks. “At least when we’re in a good hotel room.”

* * *

“So.” Prompto says when they finish getting set up in their motel. “The Lock and Key.”

Rius lays down on a bed. “Go for it.”

“What is it?” Prompto asks, sitting up in his seat. “It’s a restaurant, right?”

“Yeah.” Rius says, voice flat. “You can say that.”

Ignis clears his throat. “Factually speaking, The Lock and Key is the unofficial name of the business. It’s known to be in the Citadel, but the official name and location is kept tightly under wraps.”

Prompto looked confused. “So what’s with all the secrecy? It’s just a restaurant.”

“It’s not just a restaurant, Prompt.” Gladio said, smiling. “It’s one of the more  _ relaxing _ spots in the Citadel.”

“Relaxing?” Prompto said, clearly not getting it. His eyes widened. “Oh! Relaxing!”

Rius massaged his temples. “Someone get me off this planet.”

Noctis laughed, putting down his soda. “Isn’t the whole thing of Lock and Key how it’s practically an elite club?”

Ignis nodded. “The secrecy of the business allows it to hold an air of mystery and privacy. It is said that anything said in its walls are kept under lock and key.”

“And it usually is.” Rius admitted, sitting up. “Facts and rumors spread through all the staff, but as long as you don’t threaten one of us, everything you say remains in the building. But, well, the night before I ran, the Councilman of Defense decided that he wanted to fool around. Sorry about that, by the way.”

“I’m not upset about it at all.” Noctis said.

“It does explain how you can keep up with us in combat.” Ignis said, pushing up his glasses.

“And your fighting style.” Gladio mentioned. “Fighting up close with a dagger and a pistol? Not everyone can do that. Especially while being so quick.”

“Thanks.” Rius said, shoulders loosening. “Hopefully I can get my job back after all of this.”

Ignis’ eyes narrowed again. “Maybe you won’t have to. You did a wonderful job with Dino today. Noctis could make the Public Relations Manager position real.”

Rius chuckled. “Is that what PR means? I’ve been trying to figure that out for forever.”

“Either way, you seem to be pretty good at it.” Prompto said. “Maybe when this is all over with, we can find some way to work your skills with my camera.”

Rius smiled. “I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. A Blindside attack with Noctis. And Rius' fighting style. He's pretty mobile, and is probably gonna fall into the dodge tank of the group.
> 
> 2\. Noctis why are you answering your phone so willingly you don't even check your caller ID what the hell you're so dumb
> 
> 3\. I love Dino. But I would have a journalist sign 3 NDA's in blood before I ever told them anything tbh.
> 
> 4\. The Lock and Key isn't a canon thing, it's something made up for this AU alone and Rius is being vague on purpose. Gladio's comment makes perfect sense in context though, so if you can guess what it is now, all the power to you.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uh. i finished writing this and watching the playthrough. i have decided to keep the canon ending, but if i ever write this again, i'm ditching it completely lmao.

“The hell is a chocobo?” Rius had asked, and Prompto would swear on any of the gods that he fell into a heart attack on the spot.

He barely hears Ignis mutter “Oh dear,” before he feels himself practically explode into an information dump about chocobos and how useful they are.

He stops when he feels a hand on his shoulder and turns to face Noct, who’s trying hard not to laugh. “We’re gonna get the chocobos, Prompt. Although I am impressed with how much you know about them.”

“I feel like I’ve just heard everything there is to know about chocobos.” Rius said, staring at Prompto with some amount of admiration. “Thank you?”

“Oh.” Prompto nodded and smiled. At least someone else learned about how great chocobos are today. “No problem!”

* * *

“Everybody together? Rius?”

“I’m right behind you, Noct. Keep up.”

“But you’re behind me-”

“That doesn’t matter!”

* * *

Gladio turns around right as the maw of Deadeye cuts into the hole of the tunnel, cutting him off from the rest of the group. He’s dead silent as it roars, and he doesn’t think that any of the others give themselves away. As it retreats, he looks at the scene in front of him, Noctis standing as still as a statue, Ignis silently mouthing notes to himself, and Rius’ hand over Propto’s mouth as both of them look shocked at the size of Deadeye.

It’s practically classical art, and Gladio is upset that he isn’t holding Prompto’s camera right now to take a picture.

* * *

Noctis generally finds it difficult to sneak around. His friends are great, don’t get him wrong, but out of the 3, Ignis is the quietest, and even he’s mumbling to himself about something he finds interesting in the world. So Rius’ light steps are appreciated when it comes to tracking Deadeye. Now Noctis doesn’t have to worry about the rest of the party being so far behind him that they get caught by what he’s tracking.

* * *

The fight against Deadeye is rough. Noctis tries to keep an eye on everyone, but it’s dark, and Deadeye is faster than it looks. Noctis quickly parries a strike and swipes at it with a greatsword.

“Noct!” Rius shouts, circling behind him, partially banged up. “Duck!” 

Noctis takes the warning and practically hits the deck, watching as Rius practically shoots his dagger and launches himself towards the monster, kicking it in the legs as he pulls the blade out. Both of them are forced to roll away as Deadeye swipes at them again, and the tempo of the battle continues as normal.

It’s only a few fireballs later, when Deadeye is finally down, does Noctis notice how bad the fight went. Gladio is bleeding from claw marks against his torso, Prompto is shaking from a combination of adrenaline and fear, Ignis has a bunch of small scratches to the face, and Rius’ shirt looks like it was burned in one of the explosions.

Noctis sighs and starts pulling out potions, patching everyone up. “We need to train more.”

* * *

“Do you think I could stand up while riding a chocobo?” Rius asks as they make their way over to a hunt on the birds.

Noctis laughed. “I’d bet you 20 gil you couldn’t.”

“You shouldn’t try to, anyway.” Ignis said.

“Hm.” Prompto hums. “20 gil you can’t. Chocobos wouldn’t let someone surf them.”

“I’d bet 30 that you could.” Gladio admits. “You seem like the kinda guy who could pull it off.”

“Oh well,” Ignis mutters. “40 gil that Rius can do it.”

“What?!”

Ignis Scienta is not a stupid man. In fact, he’s far from it. That, combined with his time spent with Noctis, is how he’s able to spot when the toxin hits the prince’s system while they’re hunting voretooths. He, of course, calls it in. “Noctis is poisoned. Keep a close eye on him.”

“I’ll take babysitter duty for now.” Rius calls back, joining him by Noctis’ side.

“Don’t be silly, Visurius.” Ignis says, sinking a dagger into the flank of a creature. “We can both be babysitters for now.”

Noctis groans. “You know I can hear you, right?”

“Good.” They both reply, immediately striking down a voretooth that looks like it’s trying to sneak up on them.

* * *

Noctis feels like his head is underwater as he stumbles away from the fight. His fingers seem to fumble with the clasp that keeps all their healing items safe. He feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up to see Rius looking at him with concern as he slaps a healing patch onto his arm. “You okay?”

“I’m good.” Noctis admits, the feeling of poison out of his system now. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Now don’t die on me.” Rius jokes, starting to re-engage in the fight. “As your PR manager, I forbid you to die on me.”

Noctis shakes his head, summoning a sword and following him. “Got it.”

* * *

It’s almost a cruel joke that the Empire is at the Disc of Cauthess, but it’s also almost a joke at how easy the snipers are to beat. Gladio’s having a lot of fun picking them off one by one, so the mech’s missiles completely blindside him and he goes down pretty hard. He takes the lack of attention on him right now to catch his breath from the blow, watching as Prompto and Noctis work together to place a bullet in the cockpit of the mech. 

Ignis is shouting out weak points he notices, and Rius plays with his rope and dagger at the legs of the mech, always managing to somehow stay out of it’s line of sight. A weight lands in the inside pocket of his jacket and Gladio quickly crushes the item, feeling the large amount of energy revive him and get him back up. “Thanks, Noct!”

“You got it!”

* * *

They run out of gas right before they can make it to the Hammerhead gas station. Rius looks at them all in shock. “You have the fanciest car on the planet and it has this gas mileage?”

“That gas mileage helps power the technology that keeps all of our belongings comfortably in the trunk.” Ignis pointed out.

“You didn’t connect it to the battery?!”

“Too easy for car thieves to mess with.” Gladio says, getting out. “Now come on out and push.”

* * *

“-and y’all’be saving gas too!”

Rius smirked at Cindy’s words. “I knew I liked her.”

Ignis sighed. “You just like the idea of not having to push the car.”

Prompto laughed at the staredown between the two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Chocobo times for everyone.
> 
> 2\. Deadeye just was that fight, like wow, it really was it's own thing like that, huh.
> 
> 3\. Ignis and Rius having to pull joint babysitting duty is too funny to not put it in.
> 
> 4\. [Rius voice] As YoUr Pr MaNaGeR-
> 
> 5\. Rius can not believe the priorities of the nobility. Neither can Prompto, but he's already fought the good fight.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. I have a plan. this is gonna be a three part series:
> 
> band of five (this story)  
> solitary confinement (a oneshot)  
> time warp (an au of this au. aka the ardyn doesn't exist/noctis lives au)
> 
> let's have fun.

After spending a few days in Hammerhead, running quests and upgrading everyone’s gear, the five finally make their way into Lestallum, and Noctis is tired of driving. He sighs as he parks the Regalia. “It’s getting hot out here.”

Gladio gets out almost immediately. “We just need to get somewhere cool.”

Noctis can’t blame the guy, the allure of air conditioning and seeing Iris again is strong. “Yeah.”

“Uh,” Prompto starts awkwardly, “Any chance of sleeping in a nice room tonight?”

Ignis double checked that all the doors were secure. “Yes. I’m certain that we can secure… suitable accommodations nearby.”

“Just remember to ask the hotel to make the room unlisted.” Rius said, calmly walking behind the group. They make their way to the bazaar, and it’s active, people moving where they need to be quickly and without worry.

“There’s one hell of a crowd.” Prompto remarked.

Gladio looked up from his phone. “She’s at the Leville. Let’s go.”

Rius clapped his hands together. “Alright then, I’ll follow you guys.”

“You’ve never been outside the city, have you?” Ignis asks as they’re walking towards the hotel.

“Never had enough money to travel.” Rius admitted. “I take it that you all have though?”

“Every now and then for Crownsguard training.” Prompto said, aiming his camera into the distance. “It’s kinda fun!”

“Technically, we’re all traveling on Royal duties, so you can expect the same treatment.” Ignis said in a matter of fact tone.

“Nice.” Rius said as the group turned the corner and saw the hotel. “Can’t wait.”

As they got closer, the ground shook, and Noctis felt his head start ringing, the high-pitched sound completely drowning out the world. He looked up when he was able to hear Ignis’ voice, and although he couldn’t pick out the words, he could see concern on the advisor’s face. 

“My head just started throbbing.” Is what he thinks he says, although his hearing comes back at around the time he says the word ‘throbbing’.

Prompto taps his shoulder. “You alright?”

“Yeah.” Noctis says as the ringing starts to fade. “I’m fine.”

Everyone else in the party is giving him a look of concern, but he shrugs it off and starts walking. Rius quickly catches up to him. “Hey, Noct. If you want, I can get us the room for the night while you and the others meet up with Iris.”

Noctis smiles as he hands him a thousand gil. “Knock yourself out, Rius.”

* * *

Ignis has to admit, when Rius is in his element, he runs a tight ship. The speed and precision he has in getting everyone in the room, including Jared and Talcott, is awesome. His ability to keep anyone from talking as he closes the door and quickly scans the room? Impressive. But Ignis is most amazed when he shoves a towel into the crack at the bottom of the door to muffle any noise coming out of the room. “Alright.” He takes a seat near the door. “We can talk now.”

* * *

It’s right after receiving a tip from Talcott that Noctis notices something different in Rius’ choice of clothing. “Crownsguard fatigues?”

Sure enough, Rius is wearing one of Prompto’s pants and Gladio’s few shirts. It genuinely looks good on the guy, but it’s obvious that the sneakers he’s still wearing were not made with the rest of the ensemble, the bright red canvas of the sneakers standing out against the dark gray of the fatigues. It really works to get the silver braid in his hair to be more noticeable.

“Yeah.” Rius said, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassingly. “Ignis thought it would be better for me to, and I quote ‘not burn every item of clothing that you wear down to ash’.”

“That sounds like Iggy.”

Rius rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Such a snarky, thoughtful bastard.”

“I can hear you, you know.” Ignis says from outside the hotel. Rius waves at him. Noctis and Iris both laugh.

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Vyv says upon seeing Noctis. “It’s the Crown Pr-” He cuts himself off, looking at something over Noctis’ shoulder, and the prince knows that Rius is staring the man down like a hawk. “City’s most famous hunters, right?”

Noctis fights to keep the smile off his face. “Yeah.”

* * *

It’s during a fight with some shieldshears that Noctis notices how quickly Rius actually moves during fights. And the quickness comes from many shortcuts. Rius strafes around his opposition when he fights instead of simply running, his stance keeps him ready to either attack, defend, or dodge at a moments notice, and he leads all his attacks to make sure that where he aims his dagger is where it will hit.

Noctis tries copying his stance and while it’s weird and alien at first, he adjusts it into a place where it can work for him, and feels slightly quicker on the battlefield now. It’s almost too easy when he orders Gladio to strike hard, gets off a few blindsides with Prompto, another one with Ignis, and parries the final shieldshear into the rest of the party, who collectively tear into it.

“There’s the waterfall.” Rius pointed out, rolling his shoulder.

Prompto nodded. “The legend says to look behind the waterfall!”

Ignis hummed as he cleaned a dagger. “What does the waterfall say?”

“I think it says,” Prompto looked at it for a few moments, rubbing his chin. “‘Come in.’”

* * *

“Maybe the cold keeps the daemons at bay?”

“Yeah, because monsters like warmth.”

“Ah. Sarcasm.”

“If monsters don’t want warmth, I’ll take it. Should’ve taken a jacket with me when I ran.”

* * *

Noctis quickly parried the strike from the wraith in front of him. “Rius!”

“Got it! Duck now!”

Noctis ducked as he saw the dagger fly over his head in a perfect line, sinking into the chest of the daemon. For good measure, he got up and slammed the pommel of his sword right at the base of the dagger, driving it in deeper. “Thanks!”

“No problem!” Rius shouted back, yanking the knife out. “We’re reusing that trick when we can!”

* * *

Prompto is so done with this cave. It’s cold, it’s wet, it’s slippery, and now there’s a mindflayer that seems to be specifically after him. “Hey, what gives?” He yells, dodging it’s tendrils again.

“Maybe it’s hungry for mechanical information.” Ignis says as if that isn’t the most fearful thing anyone can imagine right now.

“And why can’t it get it from you gu-” Prompto feels his feet slide out from under him, and he hits the ice hard. It stuns him for a bit, and the cold on his back doesn’t do him any favors. It practically keeps him frozen in place as the mindflayer approaches.

“Rius!”

Prompto watches as the man practically leaps over him and swings his rope and dagger situation, quickly disrupting the monster. Noctis warps into it and Gladio strikes it, practically taking its head off its shoulders.

As it drops, Prompto realizes that he’s sitting up now, Rius looking at him with concern. “You okay? Remember everything you need to know about mechanics?”

Prompto groaned. “Don’t tell me you agree with Iggy.”

Rius claps him on the shoulder. “Nice to have you back. Now get up. It’s cold in here and I don’t have a jacket, so the quicker you get up, the quicker we can leave.”

* * *

After resting through the night, Noctis’ headaches aren’t so bad. He thinks. But listening to the guy gives him a headache. Although he does notice Rius takes a step back when the man reveals his name is Ardyn.

When they’re in the car and Ardyn can’t hear them, the party starts talking. “First Galdin, and then Lestallum,” Prompto says, “What a coincidence, huh?”

“Way too convenient to be a coincidence.” Gladio says. “I reckon he’s following us around.”

“But to what end?” Ignis asks. Everyone in the car is aware that he’s mostly asking himself. “That question bothers me deeply, as does his origin.”

“It’s hard for me to picture that guy in the Empire.” Prompto says, passing back a photo he took of the man.

“But it’s even harder to imagine him as a Lucian.” Gladio says, looking at the photo. 

“Any secret that involves him in the Lock and Key isn’t about what he does.” Rius says, the sound of him tapping his leg a constant rhythm now. “They’re mostly about staying on his good side.”

Noctis keeps his eyes on the road and Ardyn’s car. “Sounds like we want to stay on his good side then. We keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Got it?”

“Got it.” Everyone in the car answers back, and the ideas about Ardyn’s true plans are still flowing even as trailing him comes to an end.

* * *

As they pass through the gate at the Archaean, Rius can’t get a good read on Ardyn in the second he has to look at the man in his own car.

Gladio looks relieved. “I’ve met some weirdos…”

“I hope we never meet that one again.” Ignis states plainly, and Rius can’t help but agree.

“Woah!” Prompto says, shocked at the statement. “Little harsh there, don’t you think?”

“No way.” Rius says, shaking his head. “The last rumor I heard about someone crossing Ardyn was not a pretty one. Wouldn’t want the chance for him to think we’re about to do the same at any point in time. Ignis is right, it’s better if we don’t see him at this point.” 

The sun is bright when they get out of the car, and Rius is glad that he doesn’t have a jacket on. As they go through the ruins, everyone is surprised to see a tomb out in the open, and Noctis quickly grabs the weapon before the world goes to shit.

He looks around after the dust settles, seeing no safe way down where he, Prompto, and Ignis are standing. “Come on, let’s go around the rim.”

“Woah, it’s really hot.” Prompto took off his jacket. The three started moving, running along the edge of the basin. Rius catches himself when the tremors start, and they all share looks before moving even quicker.

Ignis grabs his arm. “Hold on. Imperial troops.” Rius focuses past their current situation to spot the flying ships that could make it worse. He waits while Ignis calls Noctis. “Drat. The signal cut off.”

“What do we do?” Prompto asks.

“Try and reconnect with Gladio and Noct.” Ignis says, continuing to walk forward. “Try to be a bit quieter now.”

Rius looks behind them, noticing Archaean shift. “Uh, guys? Does it look like he’s stomping on something?”

“He’s definitely attacking something.” Prompto says, and that’s when they clear a pile of rubble and see Noctis warp onto it’s arm.

“It’s never something simple now, is it?” Rius asks as they start making their way down to Noctis. “This is not part of my job description!”

* * *

“Hey,” Noctis says after shattering the Titan’s arm. “Are we all still here?” He’s relieved to hear everyone say that they’re alright. He barely hears Prompto ask if it was over before he’s bowled over by another headache. “What is it now?”

Ignis looks confused. “What is he doing?”

Prompto catches onto it first. “He’s winding up!” 

“For the big one!” Gladio warns.

“Find cover!” Rius shouts.

Titan shouts, and Noctis feels a vision hit him before the world lights up.

* * *

He’s the Imperial Chancellor. How did Visurius not say he was the chancellor? When Ignis looks over at the man, it’s obvious that there is shock on his face, and there’s a moment where Ignis wonders if Visurius ever knew about Ardyn’s status.

He seems against getting any help from Ardyn when Prompto brings it up. “No. No way. Now that I know that Ardyn and Izunia are the same person? I don’t want to be in the man’s line of sight at all.” Ignis watches him rub his ankle where the Imperial technology is.

“Either way,” he steps in, hoping to calm down the conversation. “Ge represents a problem, not a solution. As of right now, we’re stranded until we get word from Hammerhead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Lestallum! Love the place.  
> 2\. Lmao I just like dressing my ocs.   
> 3\. Rius working as a PR manager >>>>  
> 4\. Rius' Teamwork ability is Swift. It buffs the entire party's movement and attack speed.  
> 5\. Ardyn is bad news no matter where you go lmao.


	5. Chapter 5

“I’m stealing a jacket from one of you after this storm passes.” Rius muttered during Ramuh’s Trial.

Prompto smirked. “Won’t joke about the hot weather now, will you?”

“Oh no.” Rius spat. “I will. I’ll do it out of spite now.”

* * *

Gladio wakes up to see Rius on the ground, sitting in a deep split, legs a perfect line on the ground. There’s a moment when gossip from the Crownsguard about the Lock and Key in the Citadel, and the question just falls out of his mouth. “So, how good were the tips at the Lock and Key?”

Rius leaned back and rolled out of the split. “Lousy. Rich people don’t tip well. The salary was great though.”

“Don’t doubt that.” Gladio says, sitting up in his cot. “Either way, do you know about a man named David? Crownsguard recruit?”

“I’ve heard of him.” Rius answers, stretching his arms. “He got into a nasty fight with one of the girls after, well-”

“Oh.” Gladio feels guilty now. “So that’s why he was kicked out.”

“Probably. Sorry if that ruined any plans you had at the time.”

Gladio shakes his head. “No, it’s fine. I just, there’s a rumor that you could ask a staff member and-”

“Ah.” Rius nods. “It’s true. Not all of the details, but the main gist is true.” His eyes narrowed, and Gladio suddenly felt cornered. “Are you wondering what happened to your friend?”

“Not a friend.” Gladio reflected. “But I am curious. Or just morbidly fascinated.”

“Alright, but you have to tell me a story about the Crownsguard after this.” Rius says. Gladio prepares himself and nods.

“So, in the Lock and Key, you usually worked as a host or a waiter.” Rius explained. “In the daytime, it’s a normal restaurant. Normal workers, normal hours, everything. But the night shift is when the Lock and Key really opens.”

“So,” Gladio starts, twiddling his thumbs. “How is it like working there?”

Rius shrugged. “It was a job. I passed out food and drinks, got a few good tips from decent people. Every hour there’s some performance from a staff member, and sometimes there was a pole or some silks I could play around with. But to answer your question about David-”

Prompto let out a big yawn, and Gladio and Rius stopped talking, looking over to see the blond still asleep.

“When someone asks a worker for a favor,” Rius starts, “The worker can deny if they want to. If they do, the person has to pay for it. Three things: Whatever cost the worker says. A promise to compromise with the worker on whatever they do. And proof that they won’t give the worker anything ‘catchable’.”

Gladio sighed. “Let me guess, David didn’t want to compromise.”

“We sent him right on out the door, flat on his ass.” Rius answered. “I guess the management knew about him being a Crownsguard-in-training, so they let them know.”

That answers the question Gladio had earlier, all the rumors about Dave and The Lock and Key finally put to rest. But now Gladio has more questions. “Did you ever do any favors?”

There’s a long silence in the haven. Rius sighs. “A few.”

“Care if I ask why?”

“Why I did the favors? Or why I took the job?”

“Humor me.”

Rius chuckled. “I did the favors because I wanted to. They were about a year ago, I was 20, and I was bored. I took the job because it was all I could do at the time. My parents died in 9th grade, and the orphanage spat me out as soon as I turned 18.” He had a small smile on his face. “The restaurant I was working in at the time wouldn’t pay me enough to live on my own. So I made my uniform lighter, my wallet heaver, and The Lock and Key kept me on my feet and paid enough for me to get a decent apartment.”

Gladio is quiet for a few moments, taking all of that in. “I’m glad everything worked out for you.” 

“I’m glad it worked out too. Until it didn’t and I ran into you guys.” Rius said as Ignis woke up with a yawn.

* * *

Breaking into an Imperial base has everyone on edge, so when the fighting breaks out, Noctis is glad to let out a little bit of steam. 

The bolt of lightning striking down the entire team was something that definitely added stress to everything. After dealing with that and the mech, the group started slowly rotating around the base, completely giving up on the idea of stealth.

Ignis saying that the entire base is fair game seems to raise everyone’s spirits and besides a few tough battles and a missile to the face, Noctis is feeling great about the plan to take down the generator. He warps and takes out a few snipers focusing on his friends, Gladio and Ignis give him great openings to rejoin the fight, and Prompto and Rius are doing okay with their pistols. 

So the turn of the battle catches him completely off guard. 

It starts with Prompto and Rius getting caught between the mech and a few MTs, and Noctis’ blood runs cold when he hears them both shout before they fall unconscious, clubbed over the head with the blunt part of the MT’s weapon. Suddenly Gladio and Ignis are struggling to make ground against the mech, and Noctis quickly shifts his focus to make sure he can transport all the healing items they need. He’s desperate at this point, and after he’s sure that the items got to where they needed to go, he completely tunnels onto the generator, warping into it over and over to tear it apart.

The base is still operational without it, and Noctis just screams at the unfairness of it all while the others continue to fight. He blacks out for a bit, but he swears he controls a lightning bolt and strikes the base before he blinks and the base is completely blown out.

Everyone starts running to the Regalia as the sun came up.

* * *

“Bust a base. I like the sound of that. There’s a base, we go in and bust it up. Bust a base!”

“It sounds a bit flippant.”

“Why not go for something more epic?”

“It’s marketable. How much money do you think we could get for it?”

“See, Rius understands me.”

* * *

“So. Already have an awkward relationship with your in-laws, huh?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Makes sense. I don’t talk about Varus, we don’t talk about Ardyn?”

“Deal.”

The other three passengers in the car immediately break the deal both ways. Noctis shares a look with Rius through the rearview mirror.

* * *

“Damn,” Noctis complains, “This place is hot.”

“You’re wearing a jacket.” Rius notes.

Gladio smirks. “Just take your shirt off.”

“Like you?” Noctis asks, shaking his head. “No way.”

“What, too embarrassed to show your scrawny body?”

“Hey, I got muscle!” Noctis says. Rius gives him a look that questions that. “You just can’t see it.” He nods, accepting that at least.

Gladio shakes his head. “If you say so.”

* * *

Going back to Iris and Talcott is depressing. Prompto is glad when Rius follows the boy out of the room to comfort him. By the smile on Talcott’s face when they next leave, he did a great job.

In fact, when they’re shopping, he bugs Noctis to grab a few items and places them in his bag. Prompto watches as the entire car tries to get him to explain himself, but he remains silent and joking.

Gladio grabs a skateboard and a rope, kicks him out of the car, and tells him to practice his balance. To his annoyance, Rius gets the hang of skateboarding pretty easily. Prompto and Noctis laugh about everything while Iris watches him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. The Saga of Rius and the Jacket
> 
> 2\. Gladio and Rius talk about the Lock and Key and I finally get to give a deeper description of it. It's best to think about the Lock and Key as an international mix between Hooters and the Gentleman's Club. I did a bit of research and used that to make it a better place for it's workers.
> 
> This scene was an interesting one to write because I was balancing between respectful worldbuilding and Gladio's perspective. Gladio knows a lot of rumors behind David and the Lock and Key, but he also has this weird thing where he has a tendencey to take anything not directly related to Crownsguard stuff as seriously as he should. So this conversation is kind of an eye opener for him, and Rius doesn't mind talking about it. To him, it's just a job, and he actually enjoys this one.
> 
> 3\. I love the Judgement Bolt Scene. 100% enjoy it. *chef's kiss*
> 
> 4\. Simple dialogue is sometimes just the option you take. Also, I like to think that in the company of people he trusts, Rius cannot hide his thoughts.
> 
> 5\. I really just wanted Rius to skateboard behind the Regalia.


	6. Chapter 6

Rius realizes that Aranea is a nightmare after the third time he’s had to flip out of the way of her landings. He’s sure that she’s a lovely woman when they aren’t engaged in combat, but right now? She’s the worst.

He decides to disengage and deal with one of the magitek soldiers for a bit, not wanting to deal with her for now. He’s constantly shooting out the dagger now, each time catching the robot in the head. As he pulls in slack one last time, he hears the sound of blades clashing has died out, and he turns to see Aranea leaping off into the night.

By how sore he feels, he knows that sleeping tonight is going to be easy. It’s also safe to assume that his plan of keeping Noctis’ life under wraps is practically dead in the water at this point. Maybe he should talk to Dino and tell him about their adventures.

* * *

Iris looks amazed when Noctis calls the chocobos. She practically shouts with glee when Rius manages to stand on one while it runs.

Ignis pushed up his glasses. “I believe I am owed 40 gil.”

“Wait,” Prompto’s eyes are wide. “That bet was real?”

* * *

Of course. They have to work with Aranea under Ardyn’s orders. Rius feels like he’s gonna barf.

Aranea nods at him as they enter the dungeon. “I hope you can teach these guys how to dodge as well as you can. Those backflips were well done.”

“Thanks.” Rius says sarcastically. “My middle school gymnastics coach would love to hear that.”

She laughs. He doesn’t like how funny she thinks it is.

* * *

“Is that Gladio?”

“The hunter is around the same height and build. That greatsword is familiar.”

“And he just denied a request to leave a power plant about to explode. That’s definitely Gladio.”

* * *

“Do I need a passport to enter Altissia?” Rius asks when they’re on the way to Cid and the boat. 

“No.” Ignis answers. “We just need an entry permit and a declaration of intention.”

“Alright. Let’s not mention any Crown business.” Rius says, rubbing his chin. “The Empire knows you’re alive, but only Ardyn seems to get that we’ll be in Altissia soon. If we can not tip him off, then maybe we can get the upper hand.”

“So what do we say?” Noctis asks.

“We’re culinary students.” Ignis says, and everyone nods at the idea. It’s not a lie for him. “If they ask for more details, I’ll fill them in.”

“Great. I’ll call Dino and tell him to report that Noctis was spotted in Hammerhead.”

“Sow some confusion in the Empire.” Prompto says, his smile a mile wide at the thought. “I like it!”

* * *

Noctis learns that Rius had him buy the last two cactuar figurines to complete Talcott’s collection. It’s such a simple thing, but the boy nearly bowls him over in excitement.

* * *

Rius walks up to Noctis’ side after they get through immigration. “As your PR manager,” he whispers, and Noctis can tell that he’s trying to be serious and not laugh, “if you ever forget about the planned statements that we came up with in advance, I will demand an extra 5% of my paycheck that week.”

Noctis looks over and sees him smiling. He smiles too. “Sure.”

* * *

When Camelia Claustra shows up, Noctis notes that Rius looks pissed that word has already gotten out about their arrival. It’s obvious that as soon as he’s able to, Rius is going to start tracking down people and reporters. 

Especially when they enter the hotel later that evening and Rius gets a feral grin on his face. “This is a Lock and Key.”

“What?”

Rius ignores him. “Come on, let’s get a room. After we put our stuff down, you guys can go ahead and talk to Claustra.”

“And what will you be doing?” Ignis asked.

“Isn’t it obvious Ignis?” Rius picks up his bag with a big show of energy. “I’m gonna pick up a shift quickly and see what the local gossip is.”

Gladio looks like he does not like this idea. “Will you be able to call if you need us?”

“I should be able to. Now come on, what kind of room do you want?”

* * *

“So,” Prompto asked when they all met later that night. “How did it go?”

Rius groaned into his pillow before he flipped onto his back. “It wasn’t a media person, it wasn’t a government person, it wasn’t even someone who had something to gain from it.”

“Who was it?”

“Her nephew!” Rius shouted. “He was on the gondola behind us and called her.”

“That’s something new.” Noctis said, laughing. “Hopefully that’s not all you got.”

“I got a few hundred gil.” He tossed the bag over, and Prompto gasped at the sound of it hitting the table. “They tip better here than in the Crown City.”

* * *

“Noct, you in position?”

“Yep.”

“Don’t forget the plan.”

“You guys too.”

“Please don’t cause a scandal.”

“I think it’s too late for that.”

“Of course. Stay safe.”

* * *

Rius rolls his eyes when he sees the other three trying to get people to start moving. He looks up in the sky and notices the Imperial ships starting to cross it. So he does the only sensible thing:

“By the Six!” He shouts, making his voice shaky and panicked as he points at the flying vessels. “The Empire’s going to cause havoc with the Hydraean!”

The crowd of people starts moving, and as Rius moves with them, he hears the crowd whip themselves up into an idea of self-preservation.

“What will that do to the Oracle?”

“How can we make sure that it will be contained now?”

“We’re going to have to move to the outskirts of town for a while-”

Gladio picks him up out of the crowd. When his feet are back on solid ground, Ignis immediately stares him down. “Was that really your only viable strategy?”

Rius smiled. “It worked, didn’t it? The people are evacuating?”

He mentally cheers when Ignis lets out a long sigh. “Very well. Let’s make sure everyone is out before we help Noctis.”

Leviathan pops out of the water right then, and the crowd starts running.

* * *

Ignis should’ve seen the MT. He should’ve seen it, there was no excuse for him not to. He should’ve seen it, he heard it perfectly clear. He should’ve seen it so he could be ready for it’s attack.

He should have seen it before it slashed across his face and took his vision.

In all honesty, Ignis isn’t sure how he is alive right now. He swings wildly while he thinks of all the worst case scenarios: he dies at the hands of the Empire, he can’t reconnect with the group and stumbles around the city forever, he steps off of an edge somewhere and into the water, where he’ll ultimately be disoriented and either drown, or hit his head, or swim out aimlessly into the sea before he starves or dies of dehydration-

“Ignis!”

His head reacts to the sound of his name, immediately pointing him towards it.

“Hold on! There’s no one around you!”

That’s Rius’ voice, isn’t it? It’s definitely not Gladio’s, but sometimes he and Prompto talk and yell with the same timbre. And it isn’t easy to point out the smaller differences with shouts and beastly screams and echoes all around him. Either way, Ignis waits for whoever called him to reach him, dagger in hand, but not actively in use.

“Ignis?” That is Rius’ voice, much closer now. “Are you alright?”

No. He is certainly not alright. But the pain in his face and the shifting shadows make him too nauseous to trust opening his mouth, so he simply shakes his head.

He hears footsteps get closer before Rius speaks. “What’s wro-”

His voice cut out, why did he stop speaking, what’s wrong-

“Hey. I’m about to touch your shoulder.” Thanks to the warning, Ignis barely flinches when he feels Rius’ hand. “I need to tie this around your face to at least soak up the blood. Is that okay?”

Ignis nods, and it feels strange as Rius ties the cloth around his face, focusing on his eyeline. He wonders how bad the damage is for Rius’ to be so quiet and serious.

“Alright.” Rius says when he finishes. “The others are dealing with the Empire. Where are your glasses?”

How is he supposed to know? He can’t even-

“Sorry. Bad question. We need to get out of here. Is it alright if I pick you up?”

At this point, Ignis doesn’t have that many qualms about how he gets out of this situation. He nods, and soon feels himself on Rius’ back. They move, and with Rius running and jumping, Ignis feels both safe and uncertain of himself, unable to put together where he is and what the solution is to the problem around him.

It’s something he absolutely despises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Lmao Visurius "I do not believe in Aranea supremacy" Erriant.
> 
> 2\. The Bet Pays Out
> 
> 3\. Rius has never left the City in his life. Altissia is a new place for him.
> 
> 4\. Noctis needs to learn to work with his PR manager /sarcasm
> 
> 5\. How the hell did Claustra know where they were immediately. I ask myself this question every night.
> 
> 6\. Leviathan and Ignis. It was honestly tough to write this part.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi. in case you weren't able to tell by rius' description, i am a black man. i started writing this au when the protests started, and it's been a great source of comfort, but now, after protesting for my human rights, I am passing on information to those who need it.
> 
> i know that this fic isn't that big, but i feel that whatever i can do to help is important. [ Here is a link to the most reputable and up to date repository of information ](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#)
> 
> Stay safe. Speak up. Do not let this pass.

Noctis looks up as Rius takes a seat in front of him. “Sorry about the scene.”

Rius shook his head. “That’s fine.” The train is silent for a few moments. “You know, we haven’t had much time to talk.”

Noctis thinks that that’s an awfully nice way of saying, “You haven’t pulled your head out of your ass and talked to anyone yet,” but he’s grateful for it. “Yeah, you’re right. What did I miss?”

“Well, as your PR manager-”

An involuntary chuckle forces itself out of him. “You still want to be my PR manager? After that wreck?”

Rius didn’t even flinch at the question. “Yes, Noctis. The only way you’re getting rid of me now is by firing me and dragging me out the front door. Now, as I was saying, I got in touch with Dino and a few of his coworkers, pulled some shifts at a few Lock and Keys-”

“Really?” Noctis asked, amazed. “Didn’t even notice you were gone.”

There’s a flash of concern on Rius’ face, but it looks like he gets over it quickly. “That’s because I do my job effectively. Anyway, I have a decent handle on how your image is right now.”

“And that is?”

“A key part of the reason why Altissia isn’t completely underwater.” Rius answered, tapping his thigh. “You’ve made a great friend out of Claustra, by the way. She found me during one of my shifts and made sure we were on the same page.”

“I’ll have to thank her later.” Noctis muttered, mostly to himself. “The people of Lucis know I’m alive, right?”

“Yep. Right now you are-” Rius pulled out Noctis’ phone and opened it, looking at a text message. “ Currently working on finding Lady Lunafreya and trying to bring whoever ordered the Imperial ships to justice.”

The words feel heavy, and Noctis just lets them sit there for a minute. He thinks that the silver streak in Rius’ hair has gotten bigger. “Wow. You did a good job.”

“Just doing what I can.” Rius answered, shrugging off Noctis’ praise. “Besides, I know what it’s like to lose someone important to me. I figured it might be a shock to you to have it happen twice with the same person.”

“Thanks.”

Rius stands up, stretching his back. “No problem. I’m going to go take a seat somewhere else now, we’ll be pulling into the station pretty soon.”

He walks away, and Noctis stands up and walks in the other direction just to go somewhere.

* * *

Fighting is strange now too. Noctis already feels rusty thanks to the long stretch of time it’s been, but between Ignis’ eyesight and Gladio’s temper, the fight goes roughly. Prompto and Rius keep them together somehow and Noctis looks over at Ignis when the fight is over. “Hey, you should hang back.”

The look of guilt on Ignis’ face makes Noctis’ stomach sink. “Was I in the way?”

“No, you weren’t.” Noctis answers quickly, trying not to sound overbearing or angry at his friend. “It’s just-”

He cares about Ignis, about all of them. And he’s afraid of what that means, considering that he’s cared about his dad and Luna and they’re both dead.

He lets the sentence drop and trudges through the water. He keeps a closer eye on the group now, not wanting to leave anyone behind.

* * *

“Hey, there’s a small lake up ahead.”

“There’s a hill.”

“The ground should be evening out soon.”

“Monster on your left, 10 o’clock!”

Ignis sighs in relief when his dagger finds purchase. He twists it and feels the life drain from the creature. “Thank you.”

* * *

Rius is starting to hate the old kings. Why are their tombs in such stupid locations? Why can’t they have been nicer? It’s berserk and spewing gas and he’s trying to make sure Ignis doesn’t die-

“Noct!” Ignis shouts, rummaging through his coat pockets. “I have an idea.” Rius keeps a smaller monster away from the man as he works. Soon, the sound of an explosion and the scream of the monstrous plant fill the cavern, and hope finally feels like a decent option at the moment as it died.

Then Ignis opens his mouth after Noct gets his weapon from the tomb, and starts the argument of the century.

* * *

“Do you think I was too brash?”

“Ignis. Never say anything that dumb again. I’ll be afraid that you’ve lost half of your brain.”

“But-”

“What did I just say.”

* * *

Rius was stuck in between two daemons when the train started acting funny, and he truly had no idea what was going on. Duck, shoot, flip, stab, jump, land, stab, twist. It’s a dangerous dance he’s doing now, and it’s taking all of his attention to keep it up.

So hearing Ardyn’s chuckle throws him off his game enough to catch a claw in the thigh. He screams in pain as the claw refuses to let go, barely able to unload the magazine in its face. It’s claw loosens as it dies and he quickly lets it blink and reloads. He empties it into the second one. As their bodies fade, he gets up and starts limping to the front of the car, wincing with every step. 

Where in the Six is everybody else?

* * *

“Holy shit, Rius.” Gladio threw him a potion. “You took a beating.”

“Are you alright?” Ignis asked, concerned.

Rius chugged the potion, feeling his leg knit itself back together. “I’m fine now. Where’s Noctis and Prompto?”

Ignis’ phone rang.

* * *

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.” Rius says. “Aranea spells trouble.” 

“I can hear you, you know.” She says.

“Good.” Rius spits. “That’s why I said it out loud.”

“Hey. I’m in the search and rescue business now. Don’t blame me.”

* * *

The Empire’s trying to take over the world. Prompto’s disappeared. There is still a weird tension in the group. Ignis is still acting weird about his eyesight. They’re traveling to the Imperial capital.

And yet Rius is mostly concerned about how cold it is in the car. It’s funny, how quickly adrenaline fades and reality is different from how you perceive it. He’s been so busy with the media and the politics involved with being Noctis’ manager that he didn’t even notice the world was becoming darker, literally.

He bundles up in a blanket he stole from the carriages with beds on them and falls asleep.

Noctis notices that Rius takes over Prompto’s role in battle, providing supporting fire from a distance. He appreciates the sentiment, but something about it feels wrong. Prompto could swap between all his inventions without too much trouble from a distance, and Rius was practically a master at harassing enemies up close and personal.

There’s a moment where it seems right, where Ignis launches fire at the deathclaw and Rius practically flipped it over onto it’s back. And that’s when they pull through against it. It’s a lovely return to normal before the temperature lowers on the train and everything goes weird again.

* * *

Rius can tell that something is wrong when he’s the only one who is able to summon his weapons. He shoots a daemon in the head as he hears Noctis panic behind him. “What’s going on?”

“The weapons! They’re stuck!”

And that’s how Rius finds himself shepherding the three through the train. A daemon makes a flying leap at Gladio, and he stabs it mid flight with his dagger. Warning shots cover them as they get into the Regalia, and soon, the car is flying through the tunnel and Rius is leaning out of the window constantly aiming for wings and legs to keep daemons off their backs.

Gladio drags him back into the Regalia as the fireballs start flying at them.

* * *

Ardyn Izunia is a bastard. A bastard who Rius would love to kick in the teeth right about now. But he’s currently running down a hallway in order to try and save Noct from whatever the chancellor cooked up this time. He slams the first big red button he can see and shouts when it shocks him.

Gladio finds the actual button soon. That’s 4 out of the 5 of them together now. They just need to find Prompto.

* * *

When they release Prompto from his restraints is when Rius decides that kicking Izunia in the teeth would be too kind. Maybe he should add in a couple swift slaps and punches while he’s at it.

* * *

Prompto holds the back of his hand to the card reader. The card reader beeps and turns green. The door starts to open. And Prompto steps to the back of the group.

“So, MTs…” He starts, voice shaky. “They’ve got those codeprints, just like I do.”

“Do they? Never looked.” Noctis said, trying to make light of the situation.

Prompto isn’t in a light mood at the situation. “Yeah. So, as it turns out, I’m one of them.”

Rius opens his mouth, but Prompto continues. “I guess it isn’t exactly something I could tell people growing up in Lucis. Still. You guys are like, the only friends I have ever known.” He glances around the room, and he hopes that it doesn’t show on his face how scared he is. “I just hope that things can stay the way they were.”

“Were?” Rius asks. “You mean are. And will be. There’s a lot of things wrong with that last sentence.”

Noctis takes a step closer to him. “Who cares where you were born?”

Ignis shrugged. Prompto can’t remember if that’s the first time he’s ever seen him shrug. “I don’t see you turning against us. Not now, or ever.”

Gladio just nods. Somehow that’s all he has to say.

Prompto feels accepted. For now. “Thanks guys. Still, I can’t change where I came from. What I am.”

Noctis smirks. “You’ve never treated me like a prince.”

“Not even like a Highness.” Ignis remarks with a light chuckle.

“They’ve got a point.” Gladio says with a smile.

“We’re practically the Crown Citizen duo.” Rius says, holding out his hand. “Welcome back to the club.”

Prompto takes it, and is immediately pulled into a hug.

“Besides,” Rius whispered in his ear, “You can’t be an MT if you want to get revenge on Ardyn for the shit he’s pulled. I’m thinking of kicking him in the crotch and dropping him off a tower.”

“Too easy.” Prompto responds. “There’s not even any chemicals involved.”

“Chemicals?” Rius thinks about it for a moment. “I like the concept. We’ll talk about this later.”

Prompto smiles. “Got it.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, it's the last chapter. it's sad in the end. oh well.
> 
> i'll wait a week before i post solitary confinement, if you want to subscribe to the series.

Fighting with everyone is a lot better than running through this creepy place alone, Noct decides. He takes a strong blow and Prompto calls out “King’s Hurting!” so that Rius starts circling him. Gladio lands a wild swing and takes out a whole row of smaller monsters. Ignis calls down the elements from a distance. Prompto laughs as he and Noctis blindside a daemon.

They run down a corridor, and Noctis sees the one daemon he was hoping to avoid on the way back. And unluckily for him, it seems to want to talk. “The ring… it’s mine…”

“Could that-” Ignis seems to cut himself off, wanting to make sure he’s absolutely right before he talks. “Could that truly be the emperor?”

“Does seem kinda keen on the ring.” Gladio says as he blocks an attack on Noctis.

“So we fight him?” Prompto asks.

Rius leaps in front of Gladio, already slashing with his dagger. “At this point, it’s mercy, isn’t it?”

“Oh well,” Gladio mutters. “It’s nothing the five of us can’t handle.”

Noctis parries a blow and watches Rius dig his dagger into the daemon. He quickly hits it with the butt of his sword and rolls away. Rius laughs as he pulls on the rope. “You remembered!”

“We did in it a hunt last week!” Noctis yelled.

“Right! Duck!”

Noctis ducked as Gladio swung his greatsword and carved into the daemon. It let out a scream, growing limp and feeble.

“The empire… shall span all the lands....” It cried, falling onto the ground. “By the Crystal’s Light… we shall flourish… I shall arise… as ruler… of the world!”

The group ignored it, running to the hangar. As they entered, it was empty. Cold. Quiet. And then Ardyn decided to play one final card.

* * *

“Prompto,” Gladio ordered, “keep an eye on Iggy.”

“I’ll keep both on him!” Prompto said as he backed up, firing his pistol.

“That’ll do.” 

Noctis immediately warped towards “Ravus”, wanting to engage with the man before either Gladio or Rius could go toe to toe with him. He missed a block and went flying, immediately phasing a healing item into his hand and taking it. “Ignis!”

Ignis managed to shout, “I’ve just the thing!” before lighting struck in the hangar. When Noctis got up, he saw their opponent dead on his feet, the entire party surrounding him. When the electricity wore off is when the problem started. “Ravus” practically warped, catching everyone by surprise. Noctis quickly focused on sending everyone a healing item, and when he got up, he saw Rius already on his feet. 

“Rius!” The PR manager reacted on the spot, hooking his dagger around the leg of “Ravus” and leaping over him to trip him up. Noctis warped and struck him in the head, getting in a few good slashes before disengaging.

It takes a long time to beat “Ravus”. Or Noctis isn’t sure if it actually takes that long or if he feels guilty because this is Luna’s brother.

“It’s a sorry end for anyone.” Gladio says, and Noctis can’t help but agree as he watches the body turn into smoke and vanish.

* * *

“How are you going to make it?” Noctis asks, and Rius can not believe he’s passing up the opportunity to get the Crystal.

“I refuse to die here, Noct!” He shouts, tying two daemons together quickly. “You better leave before I shove you into that elevator myself!”

* * *

When Noctis meets the guys after he comes back from the Crystal, it feels like something’s wrong. Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto all seem to be pleased at his return, but Rius…

“Where’s Rius?” He asks, and everyone winces. “Is he-”

“No, he’s not dead.” Ignis answers. “He must be missing. Ardyn would have been all too happy to let us know he was dead.”

* * *

It’s as they’re going out of the subway does Noctis hear someone hissing his name. “Noct! Noctis, is that you?”

It’s a dumb idea, but- “Rius?”

The man drops down from the ceiling, and Noctis stares at him. His hair is shorter now, shoddily cut and out of it’s braids. It’s wiry, and there is a lot more gray than the silver that he remembered, especially as it went into his new beard. His skin is more of a grey-toned brown than it’s usual rich color, as if he hasn’t seen light in years. He’s wearing a patchmarked and pieced together leather jacket with no shirt and some jeans with armor strapped to the side of his legs. The anklet that he had stolen from the Empire so long ago is still on his right ankle, above a pair of beaten up sneakers.

Rius smiles, and Noctis sees that he’s missing a tooth. “It’s nice to see you guys again. Sorry I couldn’t make it out of here.”

* * *

They fight for their lives against Ifrit, and it seems like they’re about to burn to death before Bahamaut falls from the sky, dragging Ifrit out onto the street. Sadly, Ifrit takes it as an excuse to light himself on fire, and now fighting against him seems even tougher. Everywhere is on fire, and it seems like when Noctis warps, Ifrit follows and attacks.

Ignis calls down enough ice to freeze a city block, and it doesn’t seem to work for very long. Rius can barely get close enough to even try to disrupt it. Prompto expertly places seven bullets in the deity’s head and it roars. Gladio only lasts a few seconds near it before he has to back off.

Yet somehow, over time, Ifrit is slowing down.

Rius is obviously annoyed. “Why does Ardyn have a god on speed dial?!” He shouts, and it’s all Noctis can do not to laugh. “Why can’t I get one?!”

“Trust me, it’s not worth it!” Noctis yells as he warps into Ifrit again. “Try disrupting him again!”

Rius combat rolls over a pillar of flame before it erupts and manages to snag one of Ifrit’s ankles. The god doesn’t fall, but he is distracted enough for Ignis’ ice strike to be slightly better than normal, and at this point no one is taking anything for granted. 

Gladio goes down first, and Noctis sees him stumble into a relatively safe alcove before he passes out.

Prompto bows out near the end of the fight after Ifrit holds his shooting arm in one hand.

Rius goes down soon after another attempt at a disruption, when Ifrit kicks him away.

Ignis, unsurprisingly, is the last one to fall. Noctis watches as he takes refuge behind a column.

The scene is too familiar to him. People he cares about getting hurt under his watch. He thinks about his dad, dying in the Citadel years earlier. He thinks about Luna, sacrificing herself in Altissia. He thinks about chocobo riding with Prompto and training with Gladio and cooking with Ignis and talking with Rius-

And Gentianna places a hand on his shoulder as he faces Ifrit. She gives him a small, mournful smile. And then she allows herself to fully let loose as the ice goddess.

* * *

Noctis quickly runs around to make sure everyone is fine, passing out healing items and feeling relieved when they come to.

Soon, they walk into the Citadel, and the bright lights practically set the stage for their last battle. There’s only one button lit on the elevator, and as Noctis presses the button to the throne room, he looks over at the others.

Prompto smiles. Ignis stands tall. Gladio nods his head. Rius smirks.

Noctis thinks to himself that these are exactly the kind of people that he would go on an end-of-the-world roadtrip with.

* * *

“Prompto, can I see your photos?”

“Sure. Take whichever one you want.”

He chooses the photo of them all at the bar in Altissia. The amber glow of the photo is offset against the stark white and black of the palace.

* * *

The moment Ardyn sends out streaks of purple light, Noctis knows that something is wrong. That feeling only compounds when everyone around him drops silently. He turned back around with a growl. “What did you do?”

“They have no place in this,” Ardyn crows from his new perch, “the battle of kings! Come, Noctis.”

And Noctis finds that he has no choice but to follow, going up the stairs. The bodies hanging from the ceiling disappear. The throne room is in shambles and disarray. Noctis has to climb up a pile of rubble from a hole in the wall to warp to Ardyn.

He takes a deep breath before he does just that.

* * *

At some point during their fight, Noctis is aware that he fights with everyone’s weapon. Gladiolus' greatsword catches Ardyn in the chest. Prompto’s bullets pierce his skin. Ignis’ daggers land in his palms. Luna’s trident is in his gut. Visurius’ rope dagger trips him up.

And his father’s sword pierces his heart.

* * *

“So this is farewell.” Ignis states. By the look on his face, it’s the last thing he wants to state.

“Yeah.” Noctis says. “Here we are.”

“It’s all you.” Gladio looks conflicted between being proud or being ashamed.

Noctis turns and starts walking up the stairs.

“No turning back now.” Prompto says. His voice wavers a bit in fear.

He stops. He turns to face the four again. “Prompto. Gladio. Ignis. Rius. I leave it to you.”

The words are heavy, but Noctis continues to speak. “Walk tall, my friends.”

“You too, alright?” Rius asks. “Don’t cause a scandal.”

The joke falls in the serious air, Rius’ watery eyes breaking his serious demeanor.

“Godspeed,” Ignis says. “and take care. Your Majesty.”

They all bow and Noctis places a hand over his heart in respect. “The time has come.”

They all know it. The daemons start to grow behind the four. Noctis turns away and begins his long walk to the throne.

* * *

Memories of his childhood keep him going. Memories of a campfire keep him going.

Ardyn never stood a chance.

* * *

“The five of us around a campfire.” Noctis says. “How long’s it been?”

Ignis grunts. “An eternity.”

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. literally had to throw how Rius has his weapons phase in for him out of the emaciated scraps that canon gave us. 
> 
> 2\. Rius' first Technique is Disrupt, and it simply cancels an enemies animation for Noctis to do a followup attack.
> 
> 3\. And it hasn't really come up yet, but Rius' skill is Charisma, which will help with social encounters and market prices.


End file.
